Regarding the counterfeit one-pound coins circulating in
the UK, the image of the 2002 example illustrated in the article as
genuine likewise appears to be a fake. Perhaps, it's just a bad photo, but
it doesn't look good to me.

While spending last summer working in London, I could see
that the one pound coin was the workhorse of the economy. Virtually every
example that came through my hands was well worn, and many of them looked
dodgy to me. But without higher grade specimens to compare against,
discerning counterfeits was difficult for me. The article's points are
well taken and do provide diagnostics for determining fakes. But that
doesn't mean that if a coin passes those tests it's necessarily real. I
think Dave's right to be suspect. -Editor